Doug Wolfgang won the Jayhawk Nationals at Lakeside Speedway. Joining
“Wolfie” in victory lane are, from left, flagman Terry Wantland, trophy girl
Pamela Simone, and car owner Les Kepler.
Kansas City, Kan. (August 8, 1988) – Doug Wolfgang put all of his past Jayhawk Nationals frustrations behind him Monday to claim the 13th edition of the Jayhawk Nationals at Lakeside Speedway.
An estimated crowd of 7,000 witnessed the event, making it easily the best attended auto racing program in the Kansas City area this season.
Wolfgang’s past Jayhawk frustrations came mostly in the 1985 and ’86 affairs. In 19985, the 36-year-old Sioux Falls, S.D., native was headed for a flag-to-flag victory when a torsion bar snapped with three laps remaining. In ’86, Wolfgang had set a track record in qualifying but his hopes for a win ended when he tangled with Mike Peters on the fifth lap.
This time around, Wolfgang came within two hundredths of a second of becoming the first to score a Jayhawk grand slam of setting quick time, capturing the heat race, taking the trophy dash, and winning the 30-lap finale. Danny Lasoski turned the fastest lap at 18.08 seconds, just shy of Wolfgang’s track record of 17.96 seconds set at the 1986 Jayhawk.
In the 30-lap feature Tommie Estes, a second row starter, shot out into the lead by getting the jump on front row starters Randy Smith and Keny Weld. Estes maintained the lead until the sixth lap when Wolfgang shot past him on the high side of the track.
After moving into the front-running spot, Wolfgang kept a 100-yard advantage over Estes until notching Terry Wantland’s checkered flag. Estes, Jason McMillan, and Jeff Tuttle wound up with their personal best Jayhawk finishes by taking the second, third, and fourth spots, respectively. Lasoski, who was a victim of a blown tire on lap 22 while running third, charged back to finish fifth.
“We had the car set up really stiff because the track can get real wavey towards the end,” Wolfgang said. “The lapped traffic didn’t bother us, nor did the yellows.”
Results –
1. Doug Wolfgang, Sioux Falls, S.D.
2. Tommie Estes, Ada, Okla.
3. Jason McMillan, Sacramento, Calif.
4. Jeff Tuttle, West Des Moines, Iowa
5. Danny Lasoski, Dover, Mo.
6. Danny Thoman, Higginsville, Mo.
7. Max Dumesny, Sidney, Australia
8. Rich Bubak, Golden, Colo.
9. John Gerloff, Lincoln, Neb.
10.Mike Brooks, Knoxville, Iowa
11.Willie Snowden, Kansas City
12.Bill Cohee Jr., Topeka
13.Kenny Weld, Kansas City
14.Bill Vielhauer, Shawnee
15.Devlin Polkinghorn, Dodge City
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